Participating in this Project:Our project is open to any person who has received mtDNA results of U5, U5a, U5b, or any other of the U5 subclades. You can participate individually, or as part of a family project with other family members sharing the cost for one or more participants representing the family line. Participants are sought from all parts of the world. We welcome participants of the National Geographic Genographic Project to join the U5 haplogoup project.

To see a map of some of our maternal origins, click here, then click on "mt Results".

How DNA testing works:The DNA results of one person tell us nothing about our ancestors because we don't have the ancestor's DNA to compare. It is only by finding current DNA matches and comparing genealogies that we can determine our ancestors' DNA markers and our common ancestry. DNA information must be used with traditional historical and genealogical research.

DNA results can help prove and disprove relationships, and are especially useful in guiding research. If a DNA profile matches others with the same genealogy, a hypothesized relationship may be correct. Mitochondrial DNA is passed by a mother to all of her children, but only the daughters will pass the mtDNA to their children. With mtDNA tests, the person being tested can be either male or female, but the test will only reveal the maternal ancestry of the person being tested.

What are the specifics?

If you were tested by Family Tree DNA, and your mtDNA test results show haplogroup U5, U5a, or U5b, please join our project logging into www.familytreedna.com with your kit number and password. On your "My FTDNA" page, click on the blue Join icon across from your name. The next page will be the Group Join page. Go to the bottom of the page to the mt Haplogroup Projects section and click on the link to the "U" projects. Next click on U5b, then click Join. There is no additional cost to join the U5 project. If you attempt to join this project in any other way, you may be taken to a kit ordering page. You don't need to order another kit, and there is absolutely no cost to join this project.

We personally recommend upgrading your test to include at least HVR1 and HVR2. If you can afford it, of course, the mitochondrial full-sequence test is ideal. This is the "Mega" mtDNA test offered by Family Tree DNA.The purpose of a Full Mitochondria Sequence test is to: a) more accurately establish the actual mutation rate of the female inherited mtDNA; b) more accurately place the female inherited DNA of all project participants on the U5 tree; c) apply statistics to more accurately predict when two people who match identically likely shared a MRCA (Most Recent Common Ancestor); d) allow the you and the U5 Project to have results that will be ‘in hand’ when more advanced scientific papers are published in the future. If you choose the mtDNA full sequence, your results will be confidential. These are the test upgrades available from Family Tree DNA:

To upgrade from mtHVR1 and add HVR2, order the mtDNA Refine test $75

To upgrade from mtHVR1 to Mega(full sequence) $460

To upgrade from mtHVR2 to Mega (full sequence) $450

If you were tested by another testing company and wish to participate in the U5 haplogroup project, please submit your test results to the Project Administrator listed below. Participants are welcome from all testing companies.

Participation in the project authorizes the project administrator to publish the ANCESTOR’s name, dates, locations, and the test markers on the project web pages. The project administrator will not release any personal information concerning the participant.

If you are interested in participating, please contact the Project Administrator listed below and submit your pedigree.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS:Family Tree DNA has set up a donation account for the U5 project to help pay for testing or test upgrades of known descendants of U5 women. Contributions to this fund are greatly appreciated! You can designate how you want your funds to be applied. For example: "To be used for testing of descendants of Jane Smith, b. 1873 TN, married John Jones." If you would like to help, click here to make your donation. When making your contribution, specify "U5" in the "Surname Project" field. Thank you for your assistance with this important project.

GENEALOGICAL INFORMATION: Everyone is encouraged to search our Matriarchs page to find genealogical information about U5 ancestry. You do not have to participate in the mtDNA portion of our project to help with the family genealogies. We encourage all descendants of women who were haplogroup U5 to submit information about their maternal ancestors. Both males and females can add their pedigrees to our Matriarchs Page.

Clickhereto go to the WFN Forum and submit your Pedigree Info.(We will move it to the Matriarchs Page)

OTHER WAYS TO HELP: We seek volunteers with genealogical expertise to help verify, document, and extend the pedigrees.